December 23, 2004 - - Toyota's newly published 2004 North American
Environmental Report, available today, describes the company's continued improvements
in its environmental performance in the 2004 Fiscal Year. Building on the success
of the second-generation gasoline-electric Prius, Toyota made progress managing
environmental issues across the life cycle of automobile design, production,
sales, distribution and recycling.
"Our customers tell us that they are interested in our environmental investments
and innovative technologies, provided we meet their price and performance requirements
as well," said Hideaki "Harry" Otaka, president of Toyota Motor
North America. "That's why we're investing in vehicles that increase efficiency
and fuel economy, while lowering emissions," he added. "Ultimately,
our goal is to ensure that automobiles continue to power prosperity."
Toyota's Five-Year-Environmental Action Plan lays out goals and targets in
five areas, and we are pleased to report the following highlights:
· Design and Development: Toyota announced two new sport utility vehicle
(SUV) hybrids that will be launched in 2005: the Lexus RX 400h and the Highlander.
These will achieve the performance of an SUV with the fuel economy of a compact
car. In addition, Toyota is ahead of the required compliance schedule for certification
of its vehicles to the new Tier 2 and LEV II emission standards.
· Manufacturing: During the past year, our manufacturing plants were
able to achieve reductions in energy use, water use, and emissions of volatile
organic compounds a full two-years ahead of our 5-year action plan schedule.
· Sales and Distribution: Cumulative sales of the Toyota Prius in North
America stand at well over 100,000 units. Further, our U.S. sales and distribution
activities were achieved with an overall reduction of 1.8% in GHG emissions
– or over 5,600 metric tons of CO2. Vehicle distribution centers in both
the U.S. and Canada have achieved ISO 14001 certification/registration and a
sixth straight year of 100% compliance with regulations applicable to hazardous
materials/dangerous goods.
· End-of-Life/Recycling: Toyota has made a new commitment to voluntarily
phase out the use of certain substances of concern—such as mercury and
lead--in all Toyota, Lexus and Scion vehicles sold in North America. The company
is also working to achieve a 95% vehicle recovery rate by FY 2015. Toyota is
working hard to make sustainable mobility a reality, both within the company
and with a range of outside partners, with technical improvements and technology
breakthroughs, globally and in North America.
To review the full Toyota North America Environmental Report, please visit
http://www.toyota.com/about/environment/news/enviroreport.html.
